


Untitled - Dethan

by isaacbahey



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Smut, Violence, this literally has everything
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-23
Updated: 2013-08-23
Packaged: 2017-12-24 09:48:02
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 16,833
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/938512
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/isaacbahey/pseuds/isaacbahey
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>How a simple task from Deucalion goes terribly wrong and terribly right for Ethan.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Untitled - Dethan

**Author's Note:**

> Aaaaagh my first thing on AO3 hello!
> 
> This is based on everything up to 3x09. I’ve decided to completely ignore everything that happened after that. Also, my brain is nothing compared to Jeff Davis’, so just the two-packs-storyline, no actual mentions of the Darach (besides Danny’s mistletoe incident)
> 
> This can also be found on my tumblr - isaacbahey.tumblr.com/post/58321822934/untitled-dethan
> 
> I hope you enjoy it! xxx

“Aiden, Ethan,” Deucalion begins, his cane rhythmically tapping against the ground as he walks toward them. “I have another little job for you.” He pauses for a second and then continues, “There are two people we need to get close to. One of them will be important to Scott in the future and we need this connection.” He takes another short pause and then, so loudly that the twins can’t help but flinch, says, “Lydia Martin. A lot hiding under her pretty surface, it appears. Aiden, she’s all yours.” He turns a little to the left, facing Aiden, and gives him a smirk. Then, he turns slightly to the right and addresses Ethan. “Danny Mahealani. The perfect distance away from the eye of the storm.” No one says nothing for a few seconds. “Good,” Deucalion breaks the silence. “Have fun,” he says as a dismissal and the twins mirror his pleased smile.

It’s not hard to find neither Lydia nor Danny – they coincidentally spend the same recess in the library. Aiden and Ethan decide to follow Lydia there, and as soon as they’ve settled down near a bookshelf, not far from Lydia and her friend’s table – she’s one of the Argents, that’s all the boys know – Danny walks around the corner. Ethan sees him and then does a double-take when Danny turns to look at him, because yeah, he’s seen pictures of Danny, he knows the guy was quite lucky in the looks department, but none of the photos has quite captured the genuine smile the boy is giving him now. That is, until he walks right into some guy getting up. Ethan tries not to grin at how Danny’s face goes quite a few shades redder, but he kind of does when Danny looks at him again, appearing to be a bit flustered. And Ethan doesn’t quite notice Lydia getting up from her table and walking over to Aiden, because he’s now hovering over Danny. “Hey, I’m Ethan,” he says with his most charming smile. “Danny,” is the slightly shy reply and Ethan feels kind of content sitting down next to Danny, easing right into an easy conversation.

This might be so much easier and so much harder than he had expected.

 

Two days later, he’s standing in the cafeteria, looking for his brother. He finds Lydia first, but Aiden is three inches away from her face, so Ethan shakes his head and looks for somewhere else to sit, because this time, even though he feels a bit mischievous, cockblocking is not an option. He grins wider when he sees Danny sitting at an otherwise empty table and zigzags through the throng of students, reaching Danny a few seconds before McCall and Stilinski do. He raises his eyebrows at them challengingly and then turns to Danny. “May I?” he asks, and he can see Danny’s answer in his smile before he hears it. He tunes out McCall’s “Why don’t we go over there anyway?” and Stilinski’s “Because this guy is a mad angry werewolf and I want to finish my lunch alive, thank you,” and focuses on the boy opposite of him. Danny seems cheerful, but still a bit shy, so Ethan doesn’t copy his brother’s peacock-on-mating-season attitude and is completely himself, laid back and easygoing. However, he manages to make Danny blush quite a few times.

He feels a sense of accomplishment when Danny squeezes his shoulder when saying goodbye.

 

And this is how it begins, with Aiden telling him of the elaborate flirting and scheming and Lydia’s snappy remarks that turn less snappy as time passes and how Aiden likes this challenge more than others – “You know, I think I’d have a go on her even if I wasn’t obligated to” is one of the gems he comes up with – and Ethan not saying much in return, because he doesn’t want his brother to know about the jokes Danny tells him when they’re studying together, or the lingering looks they give each other at the lunch table, or how Ethan curiously peeks at Danny changing clothes in the locker room, but especially not about how he might already like Danny more than he should. He’s supposed to get under Danny’s skin, but Danny’s starting to get under his, too. It’s not like he’s suddenly taken a 180 – he’d still love to break McCall’s jaw, for example. He’s only like this with Danny. The thing is, it’s been a while since there’s been somebody like Danny in his life. It’s been pack stuff for an eternity and Danny is a refreshing getaway from it. If Ethan is honest with himself, he misses being normal, and Danny helps with that. So Ethan can’t stay away, but he’s sure that this is not what Deucalion had in mind.

Quite soon, Deucalion calls them in for a “progress report”. He stands uncomfortably close to them this time, or maybe it just seems like that to Ethan. He feels a bit like a traitor for the thoughts he’s been having, of happy moments and losing the angry mask he’s been wearing for too long around everyone but Aiden.

“Right, boys, how are we doing?” Deucalion asks, and Aiden makes it easier for his brother by launching right into a speech about how he has Lydia wrapped around his finger. Ethan kind of wants to laugh, because if anything, it’s the other way around and besides, there is no force powerful enough to wrap Lydia Martin around its finger. But he keeps that laughter inside, because Deucalion is freaking him out a little bit. Especially now that he’s in constant contact with humans – it’s become obvious to him how non-human Deucalion is.

As soon as he has thought that, Deucalion turns to him, looking pleased. “Alright, Ethan, how about you and the boy?” he asks. Ethan doesn’t answer immediately, looks down and then at Aiden. “It’s going okay, I think. We’re friends,” he says and winces when Deucalion’s lips form a tight line. “Not as close as Aiden and the girl, then?” he asks another question and Ethan can feel his brother getting anxious. “We’re not together, no,” he replies, doing his best to stop his voice from wavering. “Yet,” Deucalion adds, and it sounds like a threat. “Yet,” Ethan repeats and finally, Deucalion steps back. “Better get back to work, then,” he says and Ethan can only nod.

Aiden confronts him later that night, when they’re both in their beds. “Okay, what is up with you and Danny? He’s different,” he asks, and Ethan knows what he means. He has never had trouble finding someone to share his bed with. However, sharing his thoughts, his feelings, is a completely different thing. Of course, there’s always Aiden, but it’s not the same. He still needs a break, a distraction from the werewolf circus. No human boy has been distracting enough so far. And Aiden knows that. So, turning to face his twin, Ethan quietly replies, “Yeah, he is.” Aiden sighs, a little worried and a little annoyed. “Ethan, be careful,” he says. “Don’t get attached. He’s a target, not a playground crush. Get him.” Ethan sighs, too. “I know what I have to do, Aiden. I just don’t want to rush it. I mean, what if he says no?” He can hear Aiden’s quiet chuckle. “Ethan, are you seriously having _boy problems_?” he asks and Ethan lets out a low growl. “Shut up,” he says then. Aiden goes quiet for a while, but then murmurs, “Watch your back, Ethan, and keep your head clear. I don’t want to have to save your ass, okay? If Deucalion starts having doubts about you, he will rip you to shreds and I can’t stop him. You know that.” Ethan laughs dryly, because yes, he knows that way too well. “Don’t worry, I’m working on it,” he says. “Just… I don’t want anyone to think I’m having trouble with seducing a guy, okay?” There’s another moment of silence, but then Aiden says, suddenly serious, “Then I hope you aren’t.”

Ethan invites Danny to a café a week later, a place they’ve been to quite a few times. Danny is a few minutes early, smiling brightly, and Ethan doesn’t know whether to love or hate the sweet feeling in his stomach. He’s smiling before he knows he is, and yeah, maybe Danny won’t say no.

But he’s hoping that for his sake, not Deucalion’s.

They ease right into a lively chatter, as per usual, and Danny’s eyes crinkle when he smiles, and he has dimples, and Ethan knows that this is what he wants to do. Has to do, too, but that’s unimportant now. So, when there’s a short silence in their conversation, Ethan looks right into Danny’s eyes – it’s harder than it should be – and begins. “Danny, listen… I’m not even going to pretend that I’m not freaking out about this, but I’m going to do it anyway because I might implode if I don’t.” Danny can see where this is going and Ethan hadn’t thought his smile could get any wider. That gives him the courage to carry on. “I want to be with you,” he says. I mean, really _with_ you. And yours.” There’s a second of _an Alpha belongs to no one_ in his head, but it flies right out when Danny gets up from the opposite of him and circles the table to sit next to him. Their sides are pressed together from shoulders to knees and Danny’s fingers curl around Ethan’s and after a few more seconds, the fingers of Ethan’s free hand gently touch Danny’s cheek, pull him closer, and they’re kissing.

Nothing explodes or implodes. There’s no fireworks and the world keeps turning. But for Ethan, this is _everything_. He feels whole on an entirely new level. Being a wolf with Aiden made him complete before, but compared to this kiss, it feels unimportant.

This realisation scares the hell out of him.

 

Danny, in essence, is amazing. He’s the happiness and ease Ethan had missed for so long, now more than ever before. And the fact that Danny seems to feel the same makes Ethan happy. They’re not ostentatious about being together, but neither of them actively hides it, so obviously people start finding out. Stilinski’s flabbergasted face when he first sees them holding hands is something Ethan wants to remember for the rest of his life. Aiden blames him of having turned into a softie, leading to a wrestling match, which ends in Aiden pinned to the floor, quickly healing bite marks on his neck. And when Deucalion calls them in again, his excited tone initially matches his brother’s when he speaks about having ‘caught’ Danny, but the more he thinks about it later, the more he hates having said that. No one caught anyone, they both simply fell.

However, not everything else is that great. Hale’s puppy-faced Beta with the curls and the stupid scarf is starting to get both curious and furious and McCall seems to hover protectively over him almost constantly. Even though the puppy is stupid enough to chase after them during training and ends up trapped and teased by them, they don’t get the chance of ruining his pretty face, if even for a little while – McCall is there to fight his battles for him. And then another body is found, and Ethan is a little surprised to be disturbed by it.

But Ethan wants to tease the kid a bit more, and even though Aiden asks if he’s a masochist, he goes along with it. They skip a class and sneak into the corridor. They don’t even have to do anything – they hear how beside himself he is, judging from his heartbeat, and thanks to Mr Harris’ strict rules, he comes out alone. Ethan knows he’s expecting to be beat up as soon as he notices them and he can see the anger in his eyes, but when Aiden throws the first punch at his brother, the kid is absolutely taken aback. Aiden plays his part perfectly – if Ethan didn’t know better, he might actually be scared of the force his brother is using. And the look on the puppy’s face helps Ethan keep on a condescending smirk as Aiden keeps punching him. He hears it when Mr Harris notices the commotion, and Aiden does, too. He throws Ethan at Isaac’s feet, and Ethan’s face turns from bossy to hurt at exactly the moment the door opens. Danny is at his side instantly, one hand on his back and the other on his arm, asking if he’s alright. Ethan blames it on Isaac, but lying to Danny doesn’t feel as good as lying to everyone else. McCall’s angry face makes up for it, though.

Trapping the puppy into the janitor’s closet helps, as well, and he feels like his old self as soon as he hears Isaac freak out. But then McCall comes to save the day – again – and Ethan and Aiden stare at each other in complete shock when the voice of an Alpha escapes his throat. They’re still uneasy when McCall comes to class, looking way too smug to be innocent. And when he starts taking bike parts out of his bag – _their bike parts_ – Aiden’s heartbeat skyrockets and he runs out before Ethan can stop him. Even though Ethan – and Aiden, too, possibly ten times more – wants to rip the puppy’s chest open, he has to admit it was quite cleverly executed plan.

Yeah, Aiden is furious. Aiden is very furious and Ethan has no chance but to go along with him. They confront McCall and his puppy in the hall and it would go perfectly if Deucalion wouldn’t find them. The slash to the cheek calms them both down considerably.

 

It’s been creeping up on him for a while now, but the first time Ethan realises something in him has definitely changed is during the fight in the abandoned mall. Physically, it’s all the same. The shifting, the moving, the fighting – they all are easy for him, an instinct. Throwing Lahey and McCall around like dolls, leaving deep claw marks on McCall’s chest – it’s all child’s play. But something is missing, a thrill that had been there before.

Before Danny.

As soon as that thought forms in his head, he feels a wave of anger and worry coming from Aiden, because when they’re in this form, their thoughts are completely intertwined. Aiden turns more vicious, more controlling, and Ethan lets him lead them. He knows he’ll be getting a lecture later, about focus and priorities and his part in the pack, so he does his best to prepare for it.

But the lecture never comes, because something happens he couldn’t have prepared for.

 

As soon as they’ve sat down on the bus that should take them to the cross-country meet, Danny notices Ethan’s gloominess. He takes his hand without a word, squeezes it lightly, and if Ethan were slightly sappier, he’d tear up. Instead, he sort of smiles at Danny, squeezes his hand and puts his head on his shoulder. He can practically feel the glares from the back bench, but does his best to ignore them.

He can’t relax, though, because Ennis is constantly on his mind. He’s not sure if he can call him his friend, but his pack is definitely the closest thing he has to family and it kind of feels like his uncle is dying (well, apart from the fact that normal people’s uncles aren’t dying after falling 50 feet to an escalator while fighting a werewolf). Aiden has promised to keep him updated, but it has been silence from his end so far, so all Ethan can do is keep checking his phone. Of course Danny notices, and of course McCall and Stilinski do, too.

And the two ticking time-bombs, the prisoner and the puppy, sitting across from him aren’t helping, either. Ethan can hear Boyd’s heart rate increasing, and he really doesn’t have the mental capacity to deal with this. But before he can figure out what to do, McCall is there. And even though he instinctively wants to claw at him, he’s helping – Boyd calms down. Now something’s going on with the puppy, though – Lahey, Ethan now remembers the name – and he can smell McCall’s wound. The feeling he gets from sensing McCall’s obvious pain is far from genuine satisfaction.

As soon as Danny’s phone starts to beep incessantly, Ethan knows who it is and what he wants. He’s not sure which he’s more grateful for, that Danny doesn’t give in or that he finally does. Because even though he doesn’t want to get Danny in the werewolf mess, he needs to tell someone something. And even though McCall and his herd will know, too, he wants to get it off his chest. So he shoots a murderous glare to the back bench and tells Danny that a family member is sick, the closest thing to truth he can muster, and Danny grips his hand a bit tighter. Ethan pretends not to see him texting.

When Jared’s little vomit episode causes them to stop, the puppy beats him up. Sure, he could fight back, but he doesn’t for three reasons. One: He doesn’t need trouble. Not now. Two: A small self-deprecating part of him tells him that Isaac has every right to be angry at him – Ethan hurt his friend. Maybe not entirely willingly, but he did. Three: Danny is right there, yelling at Isaac to stop, trying to pull him away, and Ethan doesn’t want to frighten him, get violent in front of him. So he lies down and takes it, until McCall comes. “Isaac!” he yells, and both the puppy and Ethan freeze. Lahey because he simply _can’t_ keep going, he _has_ to stop, and Ethan because again, McCall’s voice has the undertone of an Alpha.

He stares at McCall until a hand takes his. He turns to Danny who is looking at him with confusion and concern in his eyes, and slowly gets up. “Don’t go too hard on him, I owed him one,” he says to coach Finstock when they walk past him.

Danny displays his usual gentleness when wiping the blood from Ethan’s face. “Why did he do it?” he asks, and Ethan is surprised by the fierceness in his tone. He takes Danny’s free hand. “We had a bit of a bone to pick,” he says. “But we’re even now, so don’t worry.” Danny’s about to say something else, but then stares at Ethan’s face. “You’re not even hurt. How are you not hurt?” he asks, furrowing his eyebrow. “I think the blood came from the inside of my cheek. It’s fine, though, don’t worry. I’m a tough guy.” He smiles, rinses his mouth and then, even though it’s a dirty tactic, steps closer to Danny and kisses him roughly.

Luckily, Danny doesn’t question him and melts into the kiss eagerly. Ethan soon discovers Danny might have been holding back, because all of a sudden his hands are pushing up his shirt, roaming around his torso and pulling on his hair. He can hear the stampeding of Danny’s heart and grins through the kiss. His hands claim Danny’s body with equal fervour and almost feverish urge. Only coach Finstock’s whistle stops them, and honestly, it’s starting to give Ethan a headache. “Later,” Danny whispers and Ethan grins as he takes his hand.

They share a room in Glen Capri, obviously, and when Finstock tells them to not engage in any sexual perversions, Danny gives Ethan a mischievous smile that makes him forget everything besides the boy holding his hand. They haven’t talked about it, haven’t crossed that line yet, but Ethan knows what that look means.

They skirt around it for a few hours, just talking and cuddling, but as night approaches, their touches get more heated. One moment, Ethan is teasing Danny about the homework he’s brought along, but the next, he’s pressing kisses down Danny’s bare chest. Ethan sees the scars on his sides, and without thinking much about it, basically offers him the bite. “What if there was a way you could make them disappear?” he asks, looking at the scars. “I don’t really want them to,” Danny replies with a smile. “They make me feel like a… survivor.” Ethan smiles. “I really hope you are,” he says, and to be honest, Ethan likes it. He likes human Danny who is warm and firm underneath him, heartbeat strong and fast, whose hands are familiar even though they’re in new places, and Ethan wants this. Wants Danny. And Danny wants it, too, with heavy breaths and sweat in his forehead, one hand reaching for his bag and the other running up and down Ethan’s side.

But suddenly, Ethan feels completely and infinitely empty. Emptier than he ever has before. Danny feels him freeze and stops what he’s doing, worry instantly on his face, and asks what’s going on. “Just give me a second,” he says to Danny, unable to explain himself, and rushes to the bathroom. He really doesn’t know what’s happening and hates that it’s happening now, because a part of him still wants to go back to Danny, to spend the night with him, but the other part knows something is wrong with him and with Aiden, and feels the inexplicable need to tear himself apart. He stares at himself in the mirror, his breaths heavy, and suddenly understands. Aiden is trapped inside him, something has gone wrong during shifting, and he needs to get him out right now. So he goes back to the bedroom, throws on a shirt, throws a few apologetic words to Danny and walks out.

The next thing he knows, he’s lying on the floor of a motel room being renovated, with no idea how he got there, a quickly fading pain in his hand, and Stiles, Lydia and Allison staring at him like he’s an alien. He’s confused, and he knows something is wrong, and these aren’t the people he wants to see right now. And they start asking questions, questions he doesn’t know answers to, and he needs to get away, and the only place he can think of is his motel room. So, giving them his most poisonous remarks, he hurries away from them.

He breathes a sigh of relief when he reaches his room, even though he’s far from calm. Danny is still awake, and as soon as Ethan opens the door, he gets up from the bed. “You okay?” he asks carefully and spreads out his arms. Ethan is in them instantly and they wrap around him protectively. Ethan can hear Danny’s relieved sigh. “I’m sorry,” he says, and Danny holds him a little tighter. “Don’t worry about it,” he replies quietly. “I was kind of waiting for a panic attack, to be fair. You’ve been handling your family stuff so well.” Ethan doesn’t think it was a simple panic attack, but says nothing. He lets Danny lead him to bed, take off his shirt and just hold him. After a while, he says, lips against Danny’s chest: “I’m sorry for killing the mood,” and Danny chuckles. “Don’t worry,” he replies. “There’s plenty of time for that.” He kisses Ethan’s forehead and pulls him closer, holds him so gently that Ethan actually does tear up a little. He doesn’t deserve this, he’s not made for soft touches and being cared for, he’s not supposed to have all of this with Danny. And the fact that he does, and that Danny cares for him so much, is just there whenever Ethan needs him, it makes Ethan inexplicably happy. So he lets a few tears fall into the pillow and hopes Danny doesn’t notice.

 

“Where the hell are… McCall, Stilinski, Boyd and Lahey? And the two pretty ones with them?” coach Finstock asks the next morning when they’re all outside, ready to get on the road again. “Jared and Greenberg,” Danny whispers to Ethan and the latter laughs loud enough to attract the coach’s attention. “I can call Stiles,” Danny offers quickly to save Ethan from an annoyed remark and grabs his phone. They both laugh again when the coach asks “Which one is Stiles?” A few seconds pass and Ethan hears a phone ringing on the bus. “He’s not picking up,” Danny says, but Ethan is looking at the bus carefully, searching for Scott and his friends. Finally he notices Isaac’s hair against a window, invisible to people who don’t know where to look. “They’re on the bus,” he says, and takes Danny’s hand. “I need to talk to Scott,” he says to him to explain why they’re essentially walking on Finstock’s heels, and Danny looks surprised as they walk up the steps.

Ethan sits down next to Scott, making Stiles look absolutely terrified, and holds back a smile when he feels Danny’s hand on his shoulder. He needs to do this, he needs to give Scott a warning of some kind, because even though he’s still tied to Deucalion, still has to impress him, do whatever he’s told, he wants to even the score a little. He doesn’t want to kill mercilessly. Not anymore. “I don’t know what happened last night, but I’m pretty sure you saved my life,” he says quietly, only turning to face Scott during the last words. “Actually, I saved your life. But not that it… matters that much, it’s just… It’s minor detail,” Stiles butts in and Ethan rolls his eyes because that’s not the point. It was Scott’s side, Scott’s… pack? that saved him. He continues, “So I’m gonna give you something. We’re pretty sure Derek’s still alive.” Scott’s face fills with a mixture of amazement and relief and Ethan is a bit glad about that. If he were in Scott’s position, he’d want to know. Hell, he knew what it felt like, he’d been the same with Ennis. Despite this, he carries on, his tone even and face serious, “But he killed one of ours. That means one of two things can happen. Either he joins our pack…”

“…or he kills his own,” Scott deduces, but it’s not quite right. Ethan corrects him, managing his best bad-boy-face, “…or Kali goes after him and we kill him. That’s the way it works.” He moves to get up because it kind of scares him how he has to _try_ to look ruthless. And yet, that is the way it works – if Derek doesn’t replace Ennis, he has to get killed. And Ethan’s sure that Kali will lead that little killing party, but he’s also sure that they will have to go through his Betas before getting to him. Because, yeah, Derek might be a rather terrible Alpha, but his Betas, and whatever Scott is becoming, will stand and fight with him. And Ethan’s not sure he’s ready for that.

“You know, your little code of ethics there is sort of barbaric, just FYI,” Stiles says, staring at him, and Ethan wants to agree, wants to say he knows and that he doesn’t like it more than Stiles probably does, but he can’t. He can’t show a single crack in his beliefs. Not yet. So he steps away from Scott and Stiles, eyes fixed on Danny’s smiling face.

Finstock is walking over to him, calling his name, and Ethan is almost about to give him a snappy remark about whatever he wants from him, when he sees Lydia getting up and taking his whistle from him. And Ethan knows that whatever Lydia will say is by far more interesting than whatever Finstock wants to tell him. So he tunes out his question about Aiden possibly joining the team full-time, gives him an unclear reply, and listens to Lydia and her friends. And as soon as he hears the word ‘wolfsbane’, he knows he’s made the right choice. Stiles looks at Lydia and Ethan can see his anger. It’s a protective kind of quiet fury and Ethan is far too familiar with that. He, too, has had to try quite hard to not freak out. Stiles says, “So every time the coach blew the whistle on the bus, Scott, Isaac, Boyd…” “And Ethan,” Lydia says and Ethan’s eyes widen a bit. This feels unusual, to be on the same side on something with Derek’s pack. And it doesn’t feel bad. “We all inhaled it, Scott says, and Allison adds, “You were all poisoned by it.” And he can’t help but admire the humans a little – he’s not sure he would’ve worked it out on his own.

Danny rips his attention from the people he’s been watching. “When did you start calling them by their first name?” Danny asks with obvious amusement. Ethan is a bit taken aback by that – he hadn’t even noticed the change, but McCall is quite obviously Scott in his head now. He looks at them and names them in his thoughts: Scott, Stiles, Allison, Isaac… Well, Boyd, but it’s not like anyone else calls him Vernon. He tries to find a moment when it happened and keeps coming back to the previous day and night. Scott’s Alpha voice, Isaac fighting him because of Scott, and Stiles and the girls saving him. “Yesterday?” he says unsurely and Danny grins, taking his hand. “I’m glad you’re getting over your prejudices,” he replies, and even though his tone is joking, the thought is genuine. Ethan smiles and leans against his shoulder.

He might be glad, too.

 

He stands on Danny’s doorstep a few days later. Danny had sent him a rather suggestive text about his parents being away and Ethan would be the world’s biggest idiot if he let that opportunity go. So he rings the doorbell, tries his hardest to ignore the excited jitters and failing miserably at it when Danny opens the door. He looks at Ethan from head to toe, a bright, elated, smile on his face, and pulls him inside.

He doesn’t waste time, marking Ethan’s neck with kisses and Ethan kind of really wishes the hickeys wouldn’t heal. He likes being marked like this, being claimed. He tunes out Deucalion’s voice in his head telling him what an Alpha shouldn’t like and follows Danny to his bedroom, every part of him quivering with anticipation.

They fall on Danny’s bed and Ethan takes the lead now, licking and sucking at Danny’s neck, grinding down on him rhythmically. He smirks, hearing the moans Danny elicits, and pulls away long enough to take off Danny’s shirt. His kisses trail down Danny’s chest once again, just like a few nights before, but no empty feeling follows this time. Ethan feels whole, so completely and perfectly whole that it almost hurts.

His kisses reach the hem of Danny’s jeans. He looks up at his boyfriend and groans quietly. Danny’s fingers tightly grip his pillow, his eyes are squeezed shut and his hips arch off the bed. If Ethan hadn’t wanted him before, he’d definitely go crazy for him now… but the insanity is already there, clouding his judgement and dulling his senses. Danny’s heartbeat is only faint in Ethan’s ears as he unbuttons and unzips Danny’s jeans with painful slowness. “Ethan, come on,” Danny groans, writhing on the bed. Ethan chuckles and leans closer to his face. “I like you saying my name like this,” he whispers into Danny’s ear. Danny pulls him closer for another feverish kiss and Ethan can feel him quivering. “So eager,” he murmurs, and Danny’s hips buck. “Come on, Ethan… I want you,” he says and Ethan has had enough teasing. He takes the bottle of lube and the condom Danny has very conveniently placed on his nightstand, kisses Danny once more and then, faster than Danny’s hazy mind can comprehend, Ethan gets him naked.

Ethan takes a moment to just marvel at the beautiful body in front of him. But then, the rush is kicking in again and he’s not quite as graceful as usual when he’s frantically trying to rip off his clothes. Finally, though, he succeeds, and leans up to kiss Danny again, their bare bodies pressed against each other.

Danny lets out the most gorgeous moan when Ethan’s lips close around his cock. Ethan’s glad he’s not holding back, because the sounds he’s making are the bane of Ethan’s existence now. He’s content to just do this, just pleasure Danny, but it’s obvious Danny wants to go all the way. “Come on, Ethan,” he says again, running his fingers through Ethan’s hair, and what even _is_ foreplay? Ethan’s fingers shake as he lubes them up and pushes them inside Danny – one, two, three – a bit too fast, but Danny’s hands frantically grabbing the sheets is definitely a good thing. “Fuck, Ethan, it’s like we’re in heat,” Danny murmurs and Ethan shoots a look at his smirking face, his fingers stopping. “Yeah,” he agrees after a while, laughing as well, and tears open the condom packet with his teeth.

Everything feels like fire when Ethan pushes inside Danny, again with not too much grace. Danny’s face shows pain for only a second, then it’s gone again, and as Ethan settles into a rhythm, Danny starts letting out little moans, fingers holding on tightly to Ethan’s wrists. Ethan has never seen him like this, all open and messy and gorgeous, and it’s driving him kind of crazy. Their rhythm picks up speed, goes a bit wilder, a bit louder, a bit hotter. Danny lets go of one of his wrists and he starts stroking himself in time with Ethan’s thrusts, and that sight is almost too much to bear. Ethan leans closer, changes the angle a bit, and suddenly Danny can only tremble underneath him, mouth open in a silent moan. “Fuck,” he finally says, stroking himself a bit faster. “I’m close,” he says, and a few seconds later, he comes. Ethan feels it, sees it, smells it, and it’s way too much. He follows right after and then carefully pulls out. “Jesus Christ, Danny,” he says, lying down next to him. “You are absolutely amazing.” Danny’s grin shows his dimples in all their glory as he turns to pull Ethan closer. “Not as amazing as you,” he says, and kisses him so tenderly that Ethan sort of turns to goo.

 

The flame never quite goes out between the two now. There are the secretive glances, Danny’s innocent-faced innuendos that sometimes make Ethan gape because how can something so filthy come from such a cute boy, and late-night hangouts at Danny’s place and dates in the weekends. Ethan has never been the movie type, but with Danny by his side, pressing kisses to his neck and feeding him popcorn, Ethan sees why people like it. And even the high school’s other werewolves don’t annoy him that much anymore even though they sometimes tend to hover. They barely talk, though, and he’s aware that they are constantly there and that they could try and kill him at any time, and mostly he thinks they’re just trying to protect Danny. Ethan understands that, but they’ve got this the wrong way around. They should know better – Ethan would fight anyone who dared to even threaten Danny.

He knows it’s a dangerous thought to have. At some point it’s bound to become a problem.

 

 

Aiden, Ethan and Kali are home one night – if their hideout can actually be called a home, because that’s about the most unfitting word to describe it – when Deucalion pays them a visit. He mostly stays away, spends his days in solitude, but every now and then, he meets his wolves and checks on them. Without a greeting or any small talk, he says, “You’re attacking in three days. I hope you’re in battle form, because you don’t have much time.” No one says anything for a while, and Deucalion takes the cap off the blade of his cane. “Let’s test you, then.”

Kali is definitely ready. Her movements are rapid, graceful, and determined. She comes close to taking the cane from Deucalion quite a few times, but never gets it. Deucalion seems pleased nevertheless. “I would say Derek can’t survive you,” he says and Kali smirks, sitting down. Aiden and Ethan start unbuttoning their shirts, but Deucalion holds up his hand. “I want to test you separately,” he says and Ethan’s stomach instantly drops. He knows that he’s physically ready to fight, but he’s not sure if he wants to fight anymore. He catches Kali staring at him, one eyebrow raised – obviously having heard the falter in Ethan’s heartbeat – and tries to look focused.

Aiden has been working hard, Ethan notices. He, too, looks more determined than before, and the red of his eyes seems somehow brighter, more violent. But Ethan can’t help but think of a dog chasing a toy and the similarity with the real situation annoys him. Kali and Aiden seem fine with it, though, so Ethan knows it’s him who has changed.

Deucalion hums appreciatively after a few minutes and Ethan gets up. “Well done, Aiden, there’s progress. Ethan, your turn.” Ethan exhales as stands up, looks worriedly at his brother and with fake carelessness at Kali. “I’m ready,” he says, but he really isn’t.

And it shows. He’s in near-top form physically, but lacks the determination, the will, even. It feels even more like a dog chasing a toy and a part of him wants to get out. The other part wants to get violent. Deucalion stops soon enough, and Ethan can see what he thinks. “That was disappointing, Ethan. You’re not really here in mind, are you?” “It’s not like he’s here in body much, either,” Kali says nonchalantly and both twins shoot her a murderous glance. Deucalion turns to her. “Really?” he asks, interested. Kali smirks at the twins. “I’m pretty sure he’s too busy dating,” Kali says mockingly and Ethan growls. Deucalion turns to him, now. “Is it the boy?”

Ethan sighs before answering. “Yes, it’s Danny,” he admits, knowing he couldn’t lie. He hates how the amusement has vanished from Deucalion’s face, now. “Ethan, I know this is your job, but you have other things to do, things that are much more important than this little task. Am I right?” Ethan fumes quietly, but doesn’t reply. Deucalion’s frown suddenly disappears. “Oh, you’re enjoying that task, aren’t you? Oh, that’s a cliché.” He steps closer and Ethan does all he can to not jump at his throat. “You must get your priorities straight,” Deucalion says. “Or otherwise, they will be set straight for you.”

That does it. Ethan wants to kill him, right then and there. He growls and tries to jump, but for the first time in their lives, it’s Aiden who holds Ethan back. “Now, Ethan,” Deucalion says, shaking his head. “You have a few lessons to learn in obedience.”

“I’m not your pet,” Ethan spits back. Deucalion laughs as he turns to leave. “Three days,” he says. “Be ready. Oh, and Aiden? I suggest you keep an eye on your brother. If he doesn’t improve, he has no place here. You know what’s at stake.” With these words, he leaves.

Ethan is swearing and yelling as soon as the door closes. Kali is looking at him with obvious amusement, apparently completely unfazed by the threats the boy is sending his way, and Aiden is doing his best to hold him in place and away from Kali’s throat. Finally, Ethan calms down enough to calm down and face his brother. No words are said between them, but at the same moment, they move for the door. Kali’s eyes follow them out, her face still carrying a smirk.

As soon as they’re out of her hearing range, Aiden turns to his brother. “Ethan, you need to be calm about this,” he says, but Ethan cuts him off. “How can I be calm?! He told me to get close to Danny. and now that I’ve done it, he says that if I don’t stop, he’ll kill him or me or both!” Aiden sighs. “You’re taking this Danny thing too seriously. You two are spending too much time together and it is hindering you. I don’t let Lydia make me weak.” Ethan stares at him, and he hates looking up at his brother. “Fuck you,” he hisses. “You don’t get it! It’s not _me_ I’m worrying about! All of this crap is not Danny’s fault in the slightest. And he might die because of who I am! I might get him killed! Don’t give me any crap about going by the rules and getting weak, because you felt how strong I was before. If you hadn’t held me back, I would’ve gone for both Kali and Deucalion. I would have ripped them apart. And I’m not saying that’s not going to happen at some point. Make sure whose side you’re on, Aiden, because I really wouldn’t want to have fight you, too,” he says, his voice laced with anger. “Make sure whose side you’re on, too, because I have the feeling you’re meddling with the enemy,” Aiden replies, but Ethan ignores him. He shifts easily and runs away at full speed, leaving Aiden worriedly looking at the place where he disappeared.

He realises he hasn’t been taking this seriously enough.

 

Ethan is reluctant at first when Danny invites him over two days later. Deucalion’s threat is still very fresh on his mind. However, as soon as Danny mentions not feeling well, Ethan sits bolt upright in his bed. “What do you mean?” he asks, sounding a bit panicked. Danny chuckles a bit. “Don’t worry, I’m not dying. Just slightly dizzy and out of breath.” Ethan gets up so fast he feels a bit dizzy for a second, too. “I’ll be there in a few minutes,” he promises. He might be overreacting, but he can never, _ever_ take chances. Not with Danny. So he hops on his bike and exceeds every speed limit.

Danny opens the door, looking pale, his breath heavier than usual and his heartbeat slightly irregular. “It’s getting kind of hard to breathe and my chest hurts,” he says instead of a hello, and Ethan’s quick thinking doesn’t let him down. He hands him his spare helmet. “Hold on to me tight and tell me when it gets worse.”

He’s focusing on the uneven thumping of Danny’s heart and his breaths that sound more and more laboured the entire way to the hospital. Panic is building in his stomach and he needs to really try to pay some attention to the road. Luckily, they make it to the hospital without incident. But Danny has got considerably worse – as soon as he gets off the bike, he stumbles and nearly falls over. His heart is beating madly now, his breaths wheezy and pained, and Ethan briefly considers carrying him. But Danny is trying to be brave and leans on Ethan’s shoulder. “I can walk, don’t worry,” he says brokenly and Ethan wants to scream. “How can I not worry, Danny?” he asks as they reach the doors of the hospital. “You look like you’re about to pass out.” Danny manages a weak smile before his knees buckle and his breaths become ragged. The panic Ethan has managed to push back washes over him in an instant.

“Someone! Someone help me! I need help!” Ethan shouts as soon as they’re through the doors, and he can’t help but feel relieved when he sees Scott sitting on a bench – there’s a familiar face, someone who might care about Danny enough to help him. Scott is up instantly, and a woman who looks a lot like him is helping, too, and together, they manage to get him to a chair. Scott tears him away from Danny. “What did you do to him?” he asks, fury clear in his voice, and Ethan hates being blamed for this. “Nothing!” he replies just as heatedly. “He said he was having chest pains and trouble breathing, but… it just kept getting worse.” His eyes are back on Danny’s pained face and Ethan wants to take some of it away.

And then Danny bends over and vomits, and it’s mistletoe. Ethan knows then and there someone was purposefully hurting Danny, and his eyes flash red for a fraction of a second.

Ethan refuses to leave Danny’s side. He goes along with Scott and his mother, trying very hard to stay calm. But Danny’s painful attempts to breathe are getting more and more laboured and Mrs McCall looks worried. Ethan takes Danny’s hand and holds it tightly in both of his. If he finds out who did this, he will kill them, he will rip them apart, bit by bit, leaving them to feel the pain Danny is feeling now. He doesn’t understand much of what Mrs McCall says, but then Scott asks, “He’s gonna die, isn’t he?” and everything just _stops_. Because Ethan can’t let that happen, he can’t let Danny die, not like this. He’s a survivor, he _has_ to survive this time, too. He tightens his grip, panic threatening to take over again at any second. When Mrs McCall gives him instructions on what to do, he fulfils them by instinct, not giving it much thought, his eyes fixed on Danny’s face, the face that should never be contorted with pain like this. He notices it when Danny stops breathing, but Mrs McCall, despite looking nervous, slams a needle into his chest and instantly, everything gets better. Danny takes a deep breath, his heart slows down and his expression softens. It’s only when he croaks out a “thank you” that Ethan breathes a sigh of relief. Danny’s okay, he’s okay, he repeats to himself, and the gratefulness he feels toward Mrs McCall at that moment is too big to put into words. So he hopes the weak smile he gives her does the trick.

Scott leaves shortly after that, and Ethan doesn’t want to leave Danny, but he has to, just this once. He follows Scott outside. “I know you’re not gonna believe me, but I didn’t do anything,” he says, arms raised.

“All I know is that the minute you got here, you went right for Danny and your brother went for Lydia.”

“We’re not gonna hurt him,” Ethan replies quickly, because he’s making goddamned sure that not a single soul can ever hurt Danny again. But he can’t say that to Scott, and the things he’s about to say burn his throat with how dumb they sound.

“Why would I believe you?”

“Because we knew one of them was gonna be important to you. And now we know it’s Lydia,” Ethan replies, his face a mask of cold calm, his blood boiling on the inside. He hates admitting this, he hates telling the truth to someone because he doesn’t want to have started off with Danny like this. He doesn’t want to be a cliché, a predator falling for his prey, but he can’t help it.

Luckily, Scott can’t question him, because a car drives crookedly into the car park and hits another. Both of them run over quickly to find it empty, and Scott pulls out a moth from the seat. Instantly they both know what’s going on, and Ethan’s nervousness kicks right back in.

He stays beside Danny’s bed all night, thanks to the kind heart of Mrs McCall. Danny fades in and out of consciousness and Ethan fades in and out of sleep accordingly. At first, Danny doesn’t do much while awake, just looks at Ethan, holding on to his hand. At around three in the morning, though, he manages to get a few words out. “What happened?” he asks, his hoarse voice making Ethan wince. “You ate mistletoe. Well, someone fed you mistletoe, I think,” he replies and squeezes Danny’s hand a little tighter. “Danny, you could’ve died,” sounding more broken than ever. “But I didn’t, because you got to me on time,” Danny replies and smiles for the first time since being saved. “Well, it was Mrs McCall who got to you, really,” Ethan says with a tired smile, ignoring the feeling that without him, Danny would be home, safe and healthy. Danny smiles. “Thank you, anyway. For being here.” Ethan gets up from his chair and kisses Danny gently. “Can you move over?” he asks and Danny grins. “I might need a little help,” he says, and Ethan very carefully lifts him to one edge of the bed, then lies down on the other. His fingers intertwine with Danny’s and for a while, he’s happy.

But as soon as he opens his eyes in the morning, his heart grows heavy. The three days are up and tonight, he has to destroy all hope of ever warming up to Scott and Derek’s pack. Before Danny wakes up, Ethan tries to come up with ideas of being as passive as possible, because he doesn’t want to kill anybody.

Well, maybe Deucalion.

Danny wakes up to Ethan’s phone ringing. Aiden is calling him to a ‘strategy meeting’. Ethan looks apologetically at Danny as soon as he‘s hung up. “Sorry for waking you up. I gotta go.” Danny smiles. “Will you be back?” he asks. Ethan steps closer, smiling again. “Of course I will, dummy. Might be a while, though, I’m not sure when. Maybe around midnight. “ Danny’s smile slowly fades, so Ethan kisses his forehead. “Sleep some more, Danny. I’ll be back.”

The ‘strategy meeting’ is surprisingly smooth. Kali points out right at the beginning that they should focus only on Derek. Ethan would think she was somehow on their side, until she adds, “With the state Ethan’s in, we’d be idiots to go for more than one.” He doesn’t even bother to growl. Aiden points out from next to him, “He might not want to fight, though, if McCall’s stupid pacifism has rubbed off on him.” “What do you suggest we do?” Kali asks, and Ethan realises his brother has thought long and hard about this, given the speed of his answer. “Well, he’s been with a woman lately. I know where she lives, so taking her shouldn’t be a problem. She’ll be our hostage, essentially, and me and Ethan can restrain her and keep the Betas off her while you deal with Derek. He’s a man of honour, I give him that, so he won’t mess the Betas in it if he’s threatened,” he says without hesitation. Kali thinks it over and nods, brow still furrowed. Finally, she says, “Deal. Go get her.” Ethan smiles gratefully at his brother.

He finds it hard to keep up the brutal killer image. He watches Ms Blake turn from confused to terrified when two of his students suddenly decide to kidnap her. He sees her confusion return when they reach Derek’s house and loosens his grip on her. She hasn’t said a word since sitting in the car, but now she finally opens her mouth again. “What are you doing to Derek?” she asks and Ethan knows that ferocity in her voice. It’s the same tone Ethan used the night before, when Danny was almost dying in his arms. His throat is all choked up, so Aiden has to do the talking. “He has blood on his hands,” and Ms Blake is very quiet all of a sudden.

Kali greets them with bare feet, red eyes and a smirk. Without saying a word, she runs a clawed finger over Ms Blake’s cheek. The woman is now trembling, looking panicked. “Let’s go,” Ethan manages to say, and Kali turns around on her heel. “Turn off the power,” she says. “They’ve been preparing.”

Aiden holds Ms Blake while Ethan quietly switches off first the auxiliary and then the main power. He knows this is how it’s supposed to work, that he has to stay true to this pack to not become suspicious, but it’s with enormous difficulty that he stops his hands from trembling. He really hopes Derek will play by the rules, because killing Ms Blake would be too much for him.

They end up standing in the doorway, restraining her from either side, and the pain in Derek’s features hits Ethan like a rock. He pictures himself in Derek’s place, watching Kali leave claw marks on Danny’s face, and barely holds back a growl. His grip on Ms Blake’s throat definitely loosens a bit, though. When Kali draws first blood, she screams, and Aiden quietly hushes her. Ethan’s eyes are transfixed on the pair in front of him twirling around each other, snapping teeth and lashing claws, and he finds himself hoping Derek wins.

He won’t, though, it’s clear soon enough. He keeps falling into the water, wounds bleeding, and Ethan is silently freaking out. He sees Isaac approaching, anger in his eyes, and takes a step forward to face him straightforward. And maybe Isaac can hear his hammering heart or see the worry in his eyes, because he pauses and looks at him, head slightly tilted. Then he lunges for Ms Blake again, and Aiden lets go, and suddenly the room bursts into light. Ethan and Aiden back off from it, covering their eyes, while Isaac leads Ms Blake into safety, and Ethan can hear Kali’s, Derek’s and Boyd’s hearts being sent into overdrive by the electric charge. Once Kali’s recovered, he commands the twins to hold Derek, now, and Ethan really doesn’t want to do it. But Aiden is looking at him warningly, so he gets up.

Ethan’s hand is sure on Derek’s shoulder, but he feels like his heartbeat echoes throughout the eerily silent hall. He tries hard not to show his emotions in case Kali is watching, but he squeezes his eyes shut when Derek’s claws pierce Boyd’s flesh.

He’s shocked, hurt and disgusted.

Kali leaves after a few more threats and Ethan wants to rip her apart. Aiden turns to leave, too, and Ethan can feel his worried glance on his back. He gives Boyd and Derek one last look, one full of sympathy and grief and hurt, and joins his brother.

 

Ethan always feels restless now, because everything he does with Danny is against every rule he’s been forced to live by. Even Aiden is more vigilant than ever. Every now and then, more often that he’d like, he feels his brother’s eyes on him, always frowning and disapproving. Ethan knows what he thinks, know that technically he shouldn’t be with Danny anymore, but there is no way he’s letting him go now.

Aiden tries to warn him the only way he can – cornering him during recess.

“This whole thing with Danny, it needs to stop,” he murmurs to his brother, and Ethan feels like he’s getting a talking-to from his mother.

“He’s harmless,” he answers quickly. “And Lydia is the one we’re supposed to worry about.”

Aiden isn’t sidetracked – he has thought this through, apparently. “Then why are you still talking to Danny?” he asks, and Ethan’s annoyance is becoming hard to mask.

“What difference does it make?” he asks, and feels like a true rebellious teenager. Not his favourite feeling, though. And Aiden is becoming more and more like a parent.

“What do you think we’re doing here? You know that we’re not actual high-school students, right? We’re here to eliminate a threat, not hold hands and pass notes in class,” he says, his tone biting.

“And now we know he’s harmless. Threat eliminated,” Ethan says with annoyance, finally facing his twin.

It’s the wrong thing to do – Aiden instantly turns from controlling parent to idiot brother again. “You’re starting to like him,” a stupid grin on his face, and Ethan has never been able to lie to him. “So what?” he asks, turning away from Aiden again, wishing he’d eaten his twin in the womb.

“So… If Deucalion asks you, would you kill him?” Aiden’s face is still teasing and Ethan kind of wants to punch him.

“If Deucalion asks you, would you kill me?” he asks back immediately and Aiden smiles. Ethan would actually want to know the answer to that question, and what Aiden thinks of their unbreakable brotherly bond being compared to the connection he has with Danny. But Aiden goes back to threats. “Stop talking to Danny. Or I’m gonna rip the flesh off his face. And eat it,” he says and slams Ethan’s locker shut.

Ethan wants to scream at him, hit him, reason with him, anything, but he’s already walking away.

He doesn’t quite understand at first why Scott and Stiles essentially corner him on the one occasion he walks the corridors alone. “Why are you even talking to me? I helped kill your friend, how do you know I’m not gonna kill another one?” he asks, frowning at them both, and suddenly Stiles is getting all snappy. “Is he looking at me?” he asks incredulously. “Are you threatening me? You know what I’m gonna do? I’m gonna break off an extra large branch of mountain ash, wrap it in wolfsbane, roll it in mistletoe and shove it up your freaking–“ Scott calms him down quickly, and Ethan’s not sure if Stiles is annoyed or terrified or both. Then, Scott turns to him.

“We’re talking to you, because I know that you didn’t want to kill Boyd,” he says, and Ethan needs to try quite hard to keep his face from betraying every single thing he’s been thinking about that night. Scott adds, “And I think that if something like that happened now, you wouldn’t do it again,” and Ethan admires his people skills. But he has a play to act, an illusion of violence and hatred to maintain, so he says, “You don’t know what we owe them. Especially Deucalion. We weren’t like Kali and Ennis when we met him. We weren’t Alphas.”

“What were you?” Scott asks, and to be fair, Ethan wants to tell this story to someone.

“Omegas,” he replies, and ignores the surprise in Scott and Stiles’ faces. “In actual wolf packs, Omegas are the scapegoat. The last to eat, the one who has to take the abuse from the rest of the pack.”

“So you and your brother were like the bitches of the pack,” Stiles remarks, and he’s definitely not terrified. Annoyingly accurate, though.

“So what happened?” Scott asks, and his genuine interest in the subject surprises Ethan a little.

“They were killers. I mean, people talk about us as monsters. But they’re the ones who gave us the reputation. And our Alpha was the worst of them,” he replies, vivid memories coming up one by one in his head, making him grit his teeth. The weakness, the loneliness, the hopelessness, the instability and lack of control Aiden and him had felt was still very fresh on his mind whenever he chose to think of them, and they hurt every time. It’s the only time when Ethan can think of Deucalion as a savior. He remembers how Deucalion taught them to control their shifting, to use their whole power when doing it. It had felt like escaping prison. “And then we fought. We took down the whole pack, one by one. And by the time we got to our Alpha, he was begging for his life!… And we tore him apart. Literally,” he says, staring into the nothingness, and images from that time flash before his eyes. Killing everyone, the Betas, the Alpha, the emissary… And joining Deucalion, blood rushing in their veins like never before, a sense of freedom overshadowing every reason to run, to get as far away from Deucalion as possible.

Suddenly, every single thought he’s having disappears and Scott and Stiles seem to be miles away, because there’s a sharp pain in his chest. The pain of claws running across flesh. He gasps and Scott’s “What? What’s wrong? Are you hurt?” is so genuinely worried that if Ethan hadn’t been in pain, he would’ve been surprised at such feelings being directed towards him.

“Not me,” he replies after a few seconds, when the pain subsides. “My brother.” He breathes in deeply, searching for his brother’s scent, and finds it with ease. And then he runs, Scott and Stiles following him, oddly enough. They burst into the locker room, and the wish to hit his brother upside the head is back, because Aiden is breaking rules, now, too. Instead of attacking him, he restrains him – and is thankful for Scott holding his other arm in place. Cora, who was supposed to be left untouched, is lying on the floor bleeding, and Lydia is kneeling over her, and the fact that Aiden wolfed out in front of her is maddening.

“Aiden! You can’t do this!” Ethan yells, and he can feel his brother coming back to his senses.

“She came at me!” he replies, and it sounds a bit childish.

“It doesn’t matter! Kali gave Derek until the next full moon. You can’t touch him or her,” Ethan says, and Aiden is silent now, staring at Lydia, who looks back with fear and anger in her eyes. It stings Ethan a little, makes him think about Danny, about what he’d do if Ethan shifted in front of him, and he has to fight the cloud of worry hanging over him again. So he springs back into action, gives Scott a curt nod and takes Aiden away.

 

He steps into the hall a bit nervously. It’s slowly filling up with people and Ethan generally doesn’t trust big crowds. However, as soon as he spots Danny sitting on stage, it gets bearable, and when Danny sees him, grins widely and gets up to meet him, he even manages a smile. They meet in front of the stage and, to be honest, Danny looks dashing. Only his tie looks a bit messy, so Ethan starts to fix it by instinct.

“I know how to tie my own tie,” Danny says with a smile, and the dimples make Ethan a bit weak at the knees every time. He doesn’t let it show, hiding it behind his bravado. “You know how to do it badly. Now, it’s perfect,” he replies, looking proudly at Danny’s tie which does look better now. A part of him wants to raise on his tiptoes and press a kiss to Danny’s smiling lips, but doing it in front of a crowd is not quite how it should be. So, instead, he fixes Danny’s hair, pulls on his collar to make sure it’s perfect, and takes a box of breath mints from his pocket. He hands one to Danny and his throat goes a bit dry when his fingers brush Danny’s lips, and Danny looks a bit flustered, too. Then, the moment is over, and he smiles at Danny again.

“Still nervous?” Ethan asks, and the dimples are back.

“All good,” is Danny’s reply and he really does look like a schoolboy, and Ethan really does feel a bit of pride. He turns to leave, but then stops. He feels a bit odd, like something is out of place, and the fact that his boyfriend is visible to everyone and therefore an easy target makes him uneasy. Danny turns to him again.

“Listen… If anything happens, find me, okay?” Ethan says. “Find me first.”

Danny looks a bit confused, but the fierceness in Ethan’s eyes must convince him enough to nod and get on stage again. Ethan sighs, turns around and rolls his eyes when he spots his brother leaning against a wall, looking as unappreciative as he always does whenever Ethan is within ten feet from Danny.

As soon as he reaches his brother, he starts talking. “Ethan, what the hell are you doing? I thought I made myself clear earlier. You can’t be with him. Especially not like this, fixing his damn _tie_. You’re an Alpha.” Ethan throws him an angry glance, finally getting to say the words that he’d wanted to say since that morning. “Well, too bad. I like him and I’m not going to leave him because of my pack. And I think you need to check your priorities, because Danny is the least of our problems and it’s starting to really get on my nerves that you’re teaming up with Deucalion against me. I’m your brother, Aiden, I could use your support.” With these words, he pushes past Aiden and finds a seat. Shortly after, Aiden sits next to him. Neither of them says nothing for a while, but finally, Aiden leans closer.

“I’m sorry, Ethan. It’s just… I can see how nuts you are about him already and if it goes on, you’re gonna get hurt. Sooner or later, Deucalion will find out. It would be safer if you left Danny before that happens.” Ethan looks at him and Aiden pulls back at the sheer anger in his expression. “I’m not going to leave Danny because of my pack,” he repeats and turns toward the stage.

Aiden says nothing, so Ethan concentrates on the music, looks at Danny play. He can hear the door opening and closing, though. First it’s Isaac, Allison and someone else, possibly Allison’s father, and then it’s Stiles, and the anxiety coming from him is tangible. So Ethan turns around, looks at him, but Stiles doesn’t say anything. So he turns back to Danny… to the orchestra, and doesn’t pay much attention to Aiden having lost his phone. Because even though Danny’s concentrated face is nothing short of adorable, the uneasy feeling is growing. It might be because the music is turning darker, more vicious, more threatening. The twins look at each other when the choir starts chanting, and Ethan needs to get Danny and get out. He’s only stopped by a screech, by a voice that sounds familiar, and Aiden’s horror-struck face makes his theory fact.

It’s Lydia, screaming somewhere, and she’s far from human.

And the chanting continues. It’s making everyone uneasy now, if the murmur in the hall is anything to go by. There is a painful kind of fierceness to the music, every chant feeling like a slap to the face or a blow to the gut. Everything about it is screaming _something terrible is going to happen_.

The snapping piano string breaks the cloud of tension, but in the worst of ways. It feels a bit like an explosion, silencing everything all at once, both the murmur of the audience and the roar of the orchestra. And then the pianist falls to the floor with a dull, lifeless thud, and everything starts moving again. Ethan stares at Aiden, absolutely terrified, and then up at the stage, where Danny is slowly getting up, his eyes fixed on Ethan’s. “Ethan,” Aiden says warningly, but Ethan pushes past him. “Look at him,” he says quietly. “He’s terrified and I promised him. I need him to be safe.” Aiden doesn’t argue, so Ethan goes on a bit faster.

“How did you know?” Danny asks as soon as he’s standing in front of Ethan, almost in the same place as before. But there’s no doubt, no betrayal, no accusation in his voice, and Ethan is grateful for that. “I didn’t,” Ethan replies, taking Danny’s hand. “Just felt a bit weird.” Danny looks at him for another few seconds, and then, so strong Ethan’s balance wavers a bit, falls into his arms. “That was the most terrifying thing I’ve ever been through, Ethan,” he says into his boyfriend’s ear. Ethan rubs his back comfortingly and pulls him closer. “I know. But it’s over, and I don’t want you get stuck in it, okay? Try to let it go. I know it’s hard, but try.” Danny nods against is shoulder and hugs him even tighter. “I’ll take you home,” Ethan whispers. Danny nods again and slowly pulls away. Ethan sees the agony in his face, the panic and the uncertainty, and squeezes his hand. “Let’s get out of here.”

The wind is howling by the time they reach Danny’s house, and when the rumble of Ethan’s motorcycle quietens, they can hear thunder. Ethan holds Danny’s hand strongly in his as they walk up the driveway. “Tea, yeah? Tea and cuddles,” Ethan offers and Danny simply smiles at him. They walk to the kitchen and Ethan grabs the kettle. Danny sits down at the table, hides his face in his hands and just sits there without saying a word. Ethan finds two mugs and some chamomile tea for them, all the while carefully listening to Danny’s heartbeat. It’s slowing down as time passes, but never reaches normal levels. Ethan adds an extra spoonful of sugar in Danny’s tea and sets the steaming mug in front of him. He sits down next to him, their sides touching, and puts his arm around Danny’s shoulder. “Drink your tea, baby,” he says with gentleness he didn’t know he could muster. “It’ll calm you down.”

Danny finally looks up at him and Ethan is surprised to see a smile. “That’s the first time you’ve called me that,” he says, picking up his mug. Ethan thinks back, tries to remember another time, but can’t. “Well, that’s what you being upset does to me,” he replies with a smile. Danny chuckles. “I should be upset more often,” he says, but it sounds a bit dry. Ethan knows why – it feels like Danny’s said “I should see people die more often”. He has a second of consideration about if he should pull a Derek and go along with the gloom, but the vivid image of a panicking Danny screams _definitely not_. So he nudges Danny’s shoulder and says, “Maybe not that upset, but I’d love to see you distraught over an A minus in chemistry.” Danny snorts. “Idiot,” he says and leans closer to kiss Ethan gently. “Thank you,” he says after it, lips an inch away from Ethan’s, and Ethan feels like melting. “Always,” he replies and takes Danny’s hand again.

Danny falls asleep on his bed a half an hour later, wrapped in Ethan’s arms, despite the thunder rumbling and the old trees croaking in the roaring wind. Ethan hears his heartbeat go slow, his breathing even out and the crease of worry disappear from his face. He stays up long after, breathing in Danny’s scent and thinking. This here, holding Danny close, making him tea and calling him ‘baby’, it’s strange and new and should feel wrong, but it doesn’t. It feels scarily right; the upcoming fight with Derek’s pack is what bothers him way more. And with only Danny’s quiet breaths to distract him, he has plenty of time to think this through. The more he thinks, the more scared he becomes, because so many things have changed. No matter how hard he tries, he can’t put his pack first anymore. He keeps coming up with scenarios, tries to think of a time where Deucalion’s wishes were above his own, but all he comes up with is Danny. In every situation, he thinks of Danny first, tries to guarantee his safety in the face of any danger. It angers him that most of these dangers are caused by his own pack.

The wind keeps howling as he comes to terms what he has to do.

 

Ethan invites Aiden for a walk the very next evening, because Kali can never ever _ever_ hear this conversation and the looks she’s been giving him lately are enough to scare him. So they walk out, not giving Kali a single glance, and go on in silence until she can no longer hear them.

“I can’t do this anymore,” Ethan says when he’s sure it’s safe to talk. “I can’t fight with Kali and Deucalion when all I want to do is fight against them. I’m not going to attack Scott or Isaac or anyone when the next full moon comes. I know you think I’m nuts and that I’ll get myself killed, but it’s the only way I can protect Danny and not lose him,” he says, sighs and turns to his brother. Aiden is staring straight ahead, deep in thought, but his heartbeat is calmingly slow. He has probably been waiting for this to happen.

“And what are you going to be? Derek’s Beta?” he asks after a while and sighs, too.

“I don’t know. Maybe, yeah. If he’ll have me. I just don’t want to be an Omega anymore.” Aiden sighs again. “And me? What am I supposed to do? Even if Derek accepts you, he’ll never have me.”

Ethan looks at him, chewing on his lower lip. “You don’t have to do anything. You don’t have to come with me if you don’t want to.” And of course, this hurts him like a spear though his chest, but he has to give his brother a choice. Luckily, Aiden stops and grabs his shoulders. “Ethan, I’m not going to fight you. I couldn’t. If you go, I go. Just… put a good word in for me, okay? I don’t want to be an Omega, either.” Ethan blinks away tears and wonders when he got so emotional. “Yeah,” he says, and pulls Aiden closer for a hug.

 

He goes to Scott’s house two nights later. He’s made up his mind, now, and this is what he has to do. He’s doing this for Danny, he reminds himself when the nervous jitters get too much, and rings the doorbell. Now or never.

To his surprise, it’s Isaac who opens the door. And Isaac is surprised, too, which he has every right to be. If someone had told Ethan three weeks ago that he’d be standing on Scott McCall’s doorstep, asking for help, he would have sent them to hell. The fact that it’s Isaac takes off an edge of nervousness, though, and he even manages a weak smile that Isaac ignores. “I need to talk to Scott,” he says, “and maybe you, too.” Isaac looks at him from head to toe, brow furrowed, and opens the door wider. “Not guaranteeing he’ll talk to you, though,” he says and Ethan sighs. “I know.”

Isaac accompanies him upstairs and knocks on Scott’s door. “Yup, come in,” Scott replies and Isaac opens the door Ethan walks in first and Scott freezes as soon as he can feel his scent. “What do you want?” he asks coldly and this tone really doesn’t fit him. “Just to talk to you,” Ethan says, holding his hands up, and steps closer. His throat feels too small and his breaths are picking up speed, so he doesn’t waste time. “Me and Aiden are leaving Deucalion,” he says. He can hear Isaac’s mouth fall open.

“Why?” Scott asks, both dubious and curious.

“I’m trying to keep Danny safe and Aiden couldn’t fight me,” Ethan says. Scott smirks and really, he shouldn’t be trying to look tough.

“You could keep Danny safe by leaving him alone,” he replies, his tone still cold. Ethan sighs, slightly agitated. Of course he knows that, but it’s simply not an option. He can’t possibly leave Danny. He’s in too deep now. So, he says, before he’s even thought it through, “Yeah, well, it’s not that easy. I’m in love with him.”

Everyone is quiet for a while, especially Ethan who doesn’t even breathe, because he’s never admitted it to anyone. Not Danny, not Aiden, not even himself. And now it’s out there and it’s scary and huge but the steady rhythm of his heart calms him a little.

“Oh, wow, you really are,” Isaac says from behind him, sounding bewildered by the realisation, and Scott’s expression softens.

“Why me, though?” he asks when Ethan has started breathing again. “It’s Derek you need.”

Ethan stares at the floor. “Total honesty: I’m scared and guilty. The last time I saw him, I held him down so he could kill Boyd.” All three flinch at that. “And after what happened to Cora, I don’t want to look into his face just yet. You seem a bit less ready to rip me apart. A bit warmer. So maybe you can help me. Besides… There’s the air of an Alpha around you. So maybe I can join your pack someday.” Scott is staring at him intensely, probably thinking of two things at a time. A minute passes before he speaks again.

“I’m trying to trust you here, and I’m pretty sure that you’re telling the truth. What about Aiden, though? he asks. “Aiden’s not that bad. I think Lydia has changed him a bit, too,” Ethan explains. “And he’s my brother. In the end, he’s going to be loyal to me. And he knows that you might not trust him, so all he’s asking for now is not to be considered an enemy. He wants to earn your trust.“

Scott runs his fingers through his hair. “I’ll talk to Derek, but I can’t promise anything.” But that’s good enough for Ethan. “Thank you, Scott,” he says sincerely and turns to leave. Isaac gives him a smile now. “They’re attacking next full moon. We’ll talk before that,” Scott says before the door closes. “Yeah,” Ethan replies quietly, knowing Scott hear him. There’s time until the next full moon. He still has time.

 

Except he doesn’t.

Ethan and Danny are walking together just four days later, discovering the city in the dark after having a pizza, when Ethan’s phone buzzes. It’s a text from Aiden.

_D and K are coming for you and Danny. I hope I’ll get there first._

“Shit,” Ethan says and turns to Danny. “I’m sorry,” he says. “It’s trouble. Have you still got Stiles’ phone number?”

Stiles picks up on the second ring. “What’s up, Danny-boy?” he asks, completely carefree, and Ethan envies him. “It’s Ethan,” he replies, taking a few steps away from Danny. “The Alphas are coming for me and Danny. I need you, guys.” He looks at his very confused boyfriend and says quickly, desperately, “I don’t want Danny to die.” There’s a second of silence, and then Stiles is serious. “Where are you?” he asks. “Near the school gates,” Ethan replies, looking around. Danny is frowning now. “Scott will see what he can do. Try to get inside the school, though, it’ll be easier to find you and fight there,” Stiles says, and Ethan is unbelievably grateful. “Thank you,” he says before hanging up. Then, he walks back to Danny.

“We need to go. There are few things I haven’t told you,” he says, handing him his phone. “Okay, what is going on? Why are you making secret plans with Stiles?” Danny asks, still frowning, but walks right next to Ethan anyway. Ethan really hates it when Danny’s worried. “Okay, from the beginning… A lot of the people you know – Scott, Isaac, Derek and his sister, Boyd and Erica before they died, and me and Aiden – we’re werewolves.” Danny chuckles. “Oh, that was a good one, I fell for it for a while there,” he says, but then there’s a clawed hand holding his wrist. When he turns around, he sees Ethan’s bright red eyes, and is stunned into silence.

“Me and Aiden were part of another pack, a violent one,” Ethan continues, climbing the gates. “We’re Alphas, we’re killers. But I got soft when I met you, I got kind of… good, and I don’t want to kill innocent people anymore. So they’re coming for us, my former pack. They want to kill us.” Danny lands next to him and stares at his eyes, absolutely dumbfounded, until a car pulls up on the other side of the gates. There’s a moment of panic, but then Ethan remembers having seen it in the McCalls’ driveway. Three hearts beat inside it.

Scott and Isaac’s eyes are glowing yellow when they reach Danny and Ethan. “Danny, go with Stiles, he’ll keep you safe,” Scott commands and Danny still isn’t saying anything. He looks at Stiles standing about thirty feet behind Scott and Isaac, rubbing his hands together and looking kind of freaked out, and starts walking towards him. Ethan watches him go, heart heavier than ever, but then runs after him. “Danny, I know this is way too much and I’m sorry. But whatever happens… I love you, okay? I love you.” There. He said it. It’s one weight off his chest and Danny seems to relax a bit, too. Ethan leans in to kiss him gently. “I love you, too,” Danny says when he pulls away, and he’s calm now, heartbeat steady and the beginning of a smile on his face. Ethan grins, relieved, and kisses his forehead.

His smile fades as soon as he walks away from Danny to catch up with Scott and Isaac, who are entering the schoolhouse. Aiden is with them now, panting and worried, and he hears more footsteps approaching. Calm, even, arrogant.

They’re here.

He sees Stiles and Danny disappear inside the school and hears Scott, Isaac and Aiden hurry after them. He follows, his heart beating loud enough to attract every werewolf in a hundred mile radius.

They come face to face with the Alphas in the first floor corridor.

“Kali told me you were planning on leaving us,” Deucalion says coldly. “I take it she was right.”

“She was,” Ethan says through gritted teeth, crouching a little, ready to strike.

“Why, then? The boy?” Deucalion asks, turning his head and inhaling.

“Yes, Danny,” Ethan replies, taking a step forward. His eyes meet Kali’s and there’s something so evil in her look that Ethan growls.

“And you’re prepared for what’s about to happen. I take it that’s thanks to your brother. Aiden?”

“Yes,” Aiden replies in a cold tone identical to Ethan’s.

“It’s a shame. You had so much potential,” Deucalion says, and Aiden’s growling, now, too.

“Scott, Isaac. You still have time. You don’t have to die tonight,” Deucalion carries on, as if ignoring them.

“We’re protecting Danny,” Scott replies instantly, resolutely, and Ethan’s heart swells with gratefulness.

“Well, it’s not a fair fight, is it?” There’s two of us and only four of you.”

“Six,” a voice says from somewhere in the darkness and Derek and Cora stand next to Scott. Kali’s face stretches into a grin. “One wrong move and I’ll kill you both,” Derek hisses to Ethan, and Cora stares at Aiden with disdain. “Got it. Thanks,” Ethan replies. “Not here for you,” Derek says, eyes fixed on Kali.

“Interesting,” Deucalion remarks. “Let’s give this a go, then.”

His eyes flash red. Ethan’s heart skips a few beats – he should’ve expected this, should’ve known Deucalion would shift just so he could see, and the fact that he didn’t frustrates him. He has no more time to think, because Deucalion is jumping right at him and Scott barely manages to push him out of the way. They look at each other with fear on both their faces, but Ethan can see Scott’s determination. “Get to Aiden,” Scott says, getting up.

Ethan doesn’t need to be said twice. It’s not easy getting to his brother, though – Kali is right in his way. Ethan tries to stall her, because he can see Derek and Cora advancing on her, and the scrape he gets on his arm from her is really nothing compared to Derek’s claws tearing into her back. Howling, she turns around to face the Hales and Ethan slips past her. Aiden is there, waiting for him, and Ethan tears his shirt off so fast that it rips.

Even though the circumstances are about the opposite of ideal, morphing with Aiden still feels good, sort of familiar and safe. And as their combined strength flows through his veins, the fear he’s been feeling is completely subdued by anger. They jump over Kali and the Hales with ease, landing behind Deucalion with a thud. Deucalion throws Scott against the wall where he slumps down next to Isaac, blood dripping from his mouth, and turns to the twins with a smirk. They are in perfect shape, because they’re both focused on the same thing now, going into the fight with shared anger and determination. And it pays off – they manage to damage Deucalion’s arm quite quickly. The sight of his own blood through his wolf eyes must set something off in Deucalion, though – with a growl, he launches at the twins and tears a wound into their chest. That’s all he manages to do, though, because at the same second, an arrow attaches itself into his side. Both the twins and Deucalion turn to where it came from – and Allison is standing there, dressed in black, another arrow ready on her bow.

“You shouldn’t have messed the humans into this,” Deucalion says, and the smirk is back. “They’re fragile, breakable.” He gets up and runs towards Allison, but another arrow stops him in his tracks. He falls over with a howl of pain – and everyone can see the arrow sticking out from his eye socket, partially blinding him again. “Don’t worry, I can take care of myself,” Allison says before disappearing up the steps.

Deucalion gets up before anyone can get to him and lunges at the twins with raw anger. Scott and Isaac are slowly getting up now, their wounds healing, and Deucalion suddenly changes his mind. He charges toward another set of stairs – to go after Danny, Ethan realises with a surge of terror. Scott and Isaac are next to him in a flash and Cora yells after them, “We’ll be there in a minute!” The twins look back fast enough to see Cora holding Kali in a chokehold and Derek lunging toward her throat.

Kali’s scream ends with a gurgle and then silence, and Ethan feels a grim kind of happiness for Derek.

Deucalion is standing in the middle of the corridor, his back to the wolves, when they get upstairs. None of them can attack, though, because he’s a lot closer to the humans facing him – Stiles and Danny slowly backing away while Allison is shooting more arrows at Deucalion. He catches every single one, now, having restored his calm, and Allison is becoming scared, too.

Ethan can sense that Scott and Isaac can’t take this any longer, so the twins stretch their back, feel the cuts on their chest hurt while slowly healing, and lunge toward Deucalion before anyone else can – because this is what the fight should be, if it were fair: just Deucalion and them, no one else getting hurt. Of course, that act of altruism hurts them, as Deucalion pushes his claws into their chest and rips another, deeper wound in there, burning at their flesh. The twins fall to the ground, separated now because of the pain, and Ethan can hear Danny’s panicked whimper. Then, Scott, Isaac and the Hales jump over them to attack Deucalion, and there two pairs of red eyes in that group.

With wonder, Ethan looks at Scott, whose bright red eyes gleam in the dark corridor, even brighter than Derek’s or Deucalion’s – or his own, he guesses. “He’s a true Alpha,” he whispers quietly, and suddenly smiles, because that might be their saving grace.

Scott is an amazing Alpha – fast and strong and determined. He avoids Deucalion’s claws time and again, almost dancing around him, and maybe it’s his pack, both wolf and human, that gives him strength. Either way, this wild dance ends with Deucalion securely held by Isaac, Derek, Cora and Scott, and Scott looks at him with a smirk. “Do the honours?” he asks, and Ethan gets up. It takes him a little while to limp there, to face Deucalion, but then he’s finally looking at Deucalion’s single scared eye. “You’ve taught me well,” he says, raising his hand, and he can see the plea in Deucalion’s face, the silent beg of mercy that he would never put into words. He smiles and brings his hand down.

Blood splatters the walls and Ethan feels relief and freedom. His head feels very light, and so does his heart.

Then, he drops to the floor, unconscious, and the blood seeping out from his chest wound is the last thing he feels.

 

He opens his eyes to dim lights and several heartbeats near him. His chest still hurts, and there’s a pounding in his head, but the feeling of safety is definitely there. He counts the heartbeats in his head – there’s four apart from his in this room and four in the other. But one of them is very close to him, its rate increasing.

“Oh, thank goodness, you’re awake,” Danny whispers, and then his lips are on Ethan’s. It’s a bit desperate, this kiss, a bit sad and a bit angry. Ethan slowly lifts his arms even though it kind of hurts, wraps them around Danny’s neck, and Danny’s fingers run across his cheeks. “You’re okay,” they both say when they break away from each other, and the smile Danny gives him is brighter than the sun.

“I’m perfectly fine,” he whispers. “You’re the one with a massive chest wound.” Ethan looks down, at his torso that’s almost completely wrapped up, and smiles. “It’s worse than I thought,” he says. “You should’ve seen it without the bandage,” Danny replies. “It was real horror movie material.” “Well, I am horror movie material even when I’m healthy,” Ethan says, and it sounds a bit unsure. Danny notices that and grips his hand a little tighter. “Don’t worry,” he says. “I’m not running for the hills just because you get red eyes and claws. I had some time to get used to it. You and Aiden look pretty badass,” he says, and Ethan laughs from relief, but his free hand grips his chest. “Don’t laugh, stupid,” Danny says. “You were ripped apart, give it some time, yeah?” Ethan grins. “I love you,” he says out of the blue and oh, how good it feels to say it without a weight of impending doom hanging above them. Danny’s smile is blinding. “I love you, too,” he says and leans closer to kiss Ethan again.

“Ugh,” Aiden’s voice sounds from not very far away. “I can hear everything. You two are gross.” Ethan turns a little to look at his brother, looking a lot more cheerful than usual, and at Lydia, who’s sitting in a chair next to his bed, sleeping. One of her hands is in both of Aiden’s. “So are you two, ew,” he replies. Aiden gives Lydia a look that’s shockingly gentle. “I know,” he says and sounds like a lovesick puppy. “She came,” he adds and Ethan tries very hard not to laugh. “That’s nothing new,” he mutters, and Aiden growls at him. “I don’t care how bad you’re feeling, I will rip that smirk off your face,” he adds and Ethan can _feel_ the eyeroll.

As morning crawls closer, Ethan finds out from Danny what happened after he blacked out. Allison had very kindly taken the twins into his car – Scott, Stiles, Danny and Isaac had carried them there, of course – and taken them to Derek’s emissary, Deaton. Stiles had managed to convince his dad to take Kali’s and Deucalion’s bodies away without a fuss. Scott was an Alpha now, having selflessly helped the twins, achieved his status by sheer goodness of his heart. And him, Allison, Stiles and Isaac had lingered around – the four heartbeats in the other room – to make sure the twins were okay. The Hales had left, but Ethan can’t really blame them. He’s grateful that they helped at all.

When the sun appears above the horizon, Deaton lets Scott in. He goes to Ethan first, and Danny gets up to give them a few minutes. “Are you all okay?” is the first thing Ethan asks. Scott smiles. “Yeah, we’re fine. Isaac’s still healing, but it’s like a scratch, especially compared to your situation.” Ethan grins now, too, but it fades after a while. “Thank you for coming. You didn’t have to put yourselves in danger because of me,” he murmurs. Scott shakes his head, dismissing him. “Don’t worry about it. I mean, Deucalion would have come for us at some point, anyway. And having your help was crucial. Thank _you_.” Ethan smiles again.

“So… What happens now? I mean… We don’t have a pack anymore,” he says after a while. “And you’re an Alpha.” Scott looks at him seriously for a while. “Do you really want to be my Betas? Like, I have never planned for a pack or anything. And you’d be, you know, Betas.” Ethan looks over at his brother, who’s listening carefully. Aiden gives him a quiet nod. “If you trust us enough,” Ethan says, and he’s scared that Scott won’t. But he should know better, because Scott can’t be anything but perfect. “Yeah, sure I do,” he murmurs. “I mean, you killed Deucalion, I think that’s enough proof for anyone. And Aiden… well, I think Lydia can keep him on a leash,” he says and smiles at Aiden when the latter growls quietly.

So their beds are pushed close to each other to the middle of the room, and Deaton works his magic, and the sun is finally peeking in from the window when Scott grips his arm and sinks his teeth into Ethan’s neck. Ethan’s eyes turn red and he squeezes them shut because of the pain.

When he opens them again, he knows they’re bright blue.

 

It’s not that different being a Beta, because him and Aiden can still merge, and the difference in strength is almost nonexistent because they’re more tight-knit within the pack. The two packs, really, because even Scott and Derek aren’t quite sure if they’re separate packs or a single big one. Ethan tends to think of them as a single unit, because they do most wolf things together, anyway – the three Hales, Scott, Isaac, Aiden and Ethan. And, of course, the humans tend to be around more often than not.

And Danny is still Danny, the smiling, warm human boy, Ethan’s survivor. This is what Ethan loves most about everything.

They are careful around each other for quite a while, because Ethan is still a bit weak and needs time to heal. Aiden is up and running around before Ethan is, and Deaton says Deucalion might have known where to hit them, so Ethan would take more damage. Of course, Ethan is upset at that, but Danny is unbelievably patient with him, and Ethan has never felt so cared for.

Finally, he’s healed. The bandages are removed, moving or laughing doesn’t hurt, and Ethan feels even more free than before. Danny goes to Deaton with him, holding his hand the entire time, and walks him back to the penthouse. Ethan expects Aiden to be home, but when he calls out for his twin, he gets no answer. “Just us two,” he whispers to Danny, kisses him softly, and that’s all it takes. Danny is all over him in an instant, all soft lips and warm breaths, and Ethan’s grin is devilish.

They end up on Ethan’s bed, their shirts in different corners of the room, their jeans inside out next to the bed, grinding against each other through their boxers, both quietly groaning at the sweet, sorely missed friction. After a heated start, they’ve settled on a slow rhythm, and Ethan likes it better this way. He’s lying underneath Danny, pulling him closer, nipping at his collarbone, kissing him softly. It feels natural to him, even though they’ve only done this once before. He feels like this is where he belongs, body almost melding with Danny’s.

Danny is more dominant this time and Ethan loves it. He loves Danny’s lips leaving marks on his neck, marks that never stay; he loves the kisses running down his stomach and just above the hem of his boxers; he loves Danny’s fingers drawing patterns on his sides; he loves the warmth Danny seems to be radiating. And then Danny slowly takes his boxers off, throws them away carelessly and runs his tongue up Ethan’s cock, and Ethan loves that, too.

Ethan groans way too loudly at the sensation, his lust and the time he’s had to wait for this becoming too much too express silently. Danny actually chuckles at this, the tip of Ethan’s cock in his mouth, and Ethan wants to actually goddamn explode because _fuck this is amazing_. His fingers run through Danny’s hair and Danny hums appreciatively, the same kind of vibration making Ethan moan again. “Fuck, Danny, you need to stop that, I’m not gonna last,” he says, panting, and Danny comes up to kiss him. “You wanna fuck me?” he asks, and god damn it, how can this innocent little boy turn into _this_? Ethan looks up at him and acts on instinct. “I want _you_ to fuck _me_ ,” he says quietly, a light blush building up on his cheeks.

Danny freezes and stares at him in wonder. “ _Seriously_?” he asks after a few eerily quiet seconds. “You want me to… Oh, god,” he says, and Ethan can feel him shiver. “I’m a Beta, after all,” he says with a smirk. “Submission is my thing.” Danny stares at him with a mixture of lust, fondness and awe on his face. “Shut the hell up,” he finally croaks and slips out of his boxers. Ethan leans over to his bedside table and takes lube and a condom out of the top drawer. “You have no idea how I’m feeling right now,” Danny whispers, leaning closer.

“I know a little bit,” Ethan replies and licks his lips as Danny lubes up his fingers. “I can hear your heavy breaths,” he says and groans when he feel a finger pressing against his entrance. Fear is building up in him – he’s never done it like this before. Still, he continues, “I can hear your heartbeat. It’s so loud, so strong…” His breath hitches as Danny carefully pushes a finger inside him and he’s starting to have difficulty telling his and Danny’s heartbeats apart because both are loud and hammering. “Keep talking,” Danny says quietly, adding another finger. So, even though it’s getting so, _so_ difficult, Ethan whispers, “I can feel how much you want this. I can… I can almost smell it on you… The lust and the…” He stops again when Danny pushes in a third finger and moans quietly. “Fuck… the love,” he finishes after a few seconds. Danny pulls the fingers out and then pushes them back in and Ethan can’t help but writhe and moan and for a second, he feels dirty, but Danny is whispering, “Ethan, if you could see yourself right now… You’re beautiful like this.” He slips on the condom now, quietly murmuring, “I’ve never had someone look like this for me. It’s maddening.” Ethan almost whimpers and takes Danny’s hand as he pushes into him, squeezing his eyes shut. He’s gripping Danny’s fingers so hard that he thinks it has to hurt, but when he opens his eyes, he sees Danny above him, his eyes open wide, his mouth open in a soundless moan. “Fuck,” Danny finally whispers and starts moving. “You’re perfect,” he whispers, and the fingers of his free hand draw crazy, uneven patterns on Ethan’s skin. “So perfect,” he adds and Ethan can do nothing but moan quietly with every thrust and look up at his boyfriend, and it almost hurts.

“I need to come, Danny, fuck, I need to come,” he whispers soon, when Danny’s breaths start getting heavier. Danny has a wild gleam in his eyes when takes his cock and strokes it in time with his thrusts, and they’re both dancing along the edge now. “You’re beautiful,” Danny whispers, and Ethan is so, so close. “You’re so beautiful… And you’re mine,” Danny says between heavy breaths, his rhythm relentless. He strokes Ethan twice more before Ethan loses any last piece of control and comes, whispering Danny’s name, his eyes turning blue. Danny follows right after with a moan and collapses on top of Ethan when his limbs give in.

They lie there like this for a while, panting and sweating, eyes closed, still as close to each other as possible. “Will you leave claw marks on me next time?” Danny asks after a while, and Ethan chuckles quietly. “You sure you don’t want me to bite your arm off in a moment of passion? Same thing, basically.” Danny laughs, too. “You could really shove these into my lungs or something, couldn’t you?” he asks, running his finger along Ethan’s nails. “Oh, wow, you sure don’t like to bask in the afterglow,” Ethan says and kisses Danny gently. “Yeah, I could. If you’re into kinky stuff, I can tie you up or something, but I think the wolf stuff should stay out of bed.” Danny rubs his nose against Ethan’s. “Fine. I love you,” he says, and Ethan pulls him closer. “I love you too, you weirdo.”


End file.
